Can a good cup of coffee turn a bad day around?

Over half of Americans claim a good cup of coffee can be “so powerful,” it can turn their worst days around into good ones.

On the flip side, in a poll of 2,000 American coffee drinkers, 31% said their entire day can be ruined if their coffee isn’t right. Some are so in-tune with their coffee, they can tell when they’ve received the incorrect order based on if it doesn’t taste right (25%) or doesn’t look right (9%).

One in five even claimed having fresh coffee is “better than sex.”

Commissioned by La Colombe and Chobani and conducted by Talker Research, the study revealed how both hot coffee and iced coffee drinkers prefer their brews.

Over half (56%) of hot coffee drinkers prefer to keep their brew straightforward, simple and frills-free. Meanwhile, nearly as many iced coffee drinkers (51%) prefer to control every single aspect of their coffee, from the bean type to the brewing temperature and the method used.

The study discovered exactly what the “perfect” cup of coffee is most likely to be, universally: both hot and cold coffee drinkers like their brews medium roast (52%) and with a bold, earthy and chocolatey flavor profile (52%).

“Americans love their coffee and take seriously how it's made,” commented Kathryn O’Conner, Chief Marketing Officer at La Colombe. “Whether someone prefers hot or cold, a simple pour or a specialty drink with more complex flavors, what people care about most is having a drink made with quality and craftsmanship.”

The study also showed how people prefer to have their coffee served. Iced coffee drinkers were found to be more likely to use both sweeteners and creamers in their coffee (37%, compared to 31%).

They were also found to use more flavored creamers (creamers (24%, compared to 17%) and syrups (10%, compared to 2%).

According to both hot and cold drinkers, the best flavors for creamer and sweeteners are vanilla (52%), caramel (42%), caramel macchiato (42%), hazelnut (41%) and white chocolate mocha (33%).

Dessert flavors were also found to be popular, as many prefer sweet cream (31%), pumpkin spice (27%), peppermint mocha (20%), cinnamon coffee cake (17%) and cookie dough (16%) creamers.

“Creamers give people a fun and easy way to customize their coffee with different flavors,” said Niel Sandfort, Chobani Chief Innovation Officer. “Seasonal and indulgent, dessert-inspired flavors with nostalgic charm have been very popular recently, and now you can enjoy those tasty flavors in a totally natural way made with real cream and simple, clean ingredients — never with oil and nothing artificial.”

Where people get their coffee is also an important factor. While 70% prefer making their own at home and 12% prefer ordering in a café, 18% are happy with either location as long as they get their daily fix.

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 American coffee drinkers; the survey was commissioned by Chobani and La Colombe and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between August 26 and August 30, 2024.